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Staley man named 2013 Childress Idol winner

Published: Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 6:17 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 7:17 p.m.

Nine contestants belted out pop favorites, country ballads and inspirational gospel songs during the Seventh Annual Childress Idol at Childress Vineyards on Sunday afternoon. In the end, Freddy Adkins, 38, of Staley, was named the 2013 winner.

The 2013 Childress Idol winner, Freddy Adkins, performs a song for the judges during the Barbecue Festival's talent competition Sunday at Childress Vineyards.

Donnie Roberts/The Dispatch

“It is unbelievable,” said Adkins moments after being announced as the winner. “I am grateful to be part of the group of so many talented people.”

Adkins says he has always been around music and is especially fond of country music. This is his second time participating in the Childress Idol, and in 2005 he won the Triad Idol Competition in Greensboro. He says his inspiration is his two children, Madison Grace and Joey. Adkins chose “Colder Weather” by Zach Brown Band as his final musical selection after being selected into the top four.

As the winner of the Childress Idol, Adkins will perform the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the Barbecue Festival on Oct. 26. He will also perform minutes before the Q-Jam, which features Darius Rucker, Joe Nicols and Brett Eldredge. He also receives $250 in cash and a trophy from Hayes Jewelers.

“I'm excited to even be associated with the caliber of performers that will be at the festival,” Adkins said. “It's a dream come true.”

This year the judges, who consisted of Mickey Sharpe, a Lexington designer; Stephanie Saintsing Naset, executive director of the Barbecue Festival; and Lee Jessup, president of the United Way of Davidson County, decided to mix things up and throw routine out the window. In previous years, all of the competitors were narrowed down to the top 10 after the first round, but because there were a limited number of entries they allowed the contestants to perform two songs as well as the national anthem. Usually only the top three are asked to perform the national anthem.

The judges said since the competition was so tight this year, they wanted to see each contestant perform the anthem. Jessup said that after the first two rounds, the scores were extremely close, and they needed a tie-breaker to choose the top four.

“This was the closest I have ever seen it,” Jessup said. “At one point, we just couldn't come to a decision, but only one person can perform the national anthem, so we wanted to see how they would handle it.”

The other performers in the top four were Andrew Gibson, 16, of Greensboro; Jenna Hawkins, 17, of Summerfield; and Jordan Bridges, 23, of Greensboro. Other contestants who performed were Waylon L. Turbeville, 29, of Linwood; Christen Hines, 28, of Lexington; Sherrie Lyon, 42, of Lexington; Jessica Dunlap, 22, of Oak Ridge; and Kayla Watson, 22, of Greensboro.

In the first round, contestants performed an a cappella song less than four minutes in length. During the second and third rounds, the performers sang a song of their choice, this time accompanied with backup music. All contestants performed the national anthem a cappella, before judges narrowed the pool down to the top four performers.

The judges said they were pleased with the level of competition this year.

“I am amazed at the exceptional caliber of talent of these contestants that keep showing up year after year,” Sharpe said. “The talent we are witnessing can, and have, compete at the national level.”

Naset said that even though she has been a judge since the first Childress Idol, it is something she enjoys doing every year.

“I wouldn't call this a hard job,” Naset said. “I look forward to being here with Mickey and Lee. I also enjoy getting to see the tremendous amount of local talent we have in the area.”

Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com.

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